Amusement apparatus



July 25, 1933. v H, JEWELL 1,919,467

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 D a FIG. I. I

I W ROBERT 1/. Jan 4;

F77- ro PNEK? July 25, 1933 R H, JEWELL 1,919,467

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 {QQQtoQtto 00. 0Q f ll: I l

//\/VNTOR R055??- 11 JEWELL 'QITORA/EYS July 25, 1933. A R H JEWELL 1,919,467

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Q7- TO IPA/E k:

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July 25, R H JEWELL AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2, 1931' 4 Sheets-Sheet. 4

Patented July 25, j i-.

Arrusnrrnnr Assa ese Application filed September 2;:1 931JSeria1 N0'.-5.60,696.l

I This invention relates to .amusementfldevices oii the general type commonly; referred to as merryego-rounds, carouse'ls and round- ;abou'ts; which consist ofia plurality. of passenger -carrying devices or vehicles arranged to travel in-a circular path; I

'1 uT-hei-main obj ect, of my invention is'topro- .vide an amusement apparatus of ithe jgeneral type mentioned that ,will- 'producean: eifect or sensation on'the passengers 'practicallythe sa'me' ass'is produced by anaeroplane-inflight, notwithstanding the fact that the passenger carrying fears orvehicles travel ona stationiary track'.*- I 1m eliAnother objectis to' provide an inexpen- Tsive apparatus of? simple .construction, by which a "large :number of: persons ean-obtain ith e'sen sation' ofan aeroplane ride, and which is of such design that the operator in charge 'ot the' apparatusi is in sole-'5 control of the mechanism that is usdto-rocl the :cars fore and aft to' produce the sensation of flying through bumpy air and thevmechaniSm-that is used to tilt the cars transversely'so as to produce the sensation of banking' on a turn.

-'-And still another object of my invention 'ist'o provide an amusement apparatus of-the particular kind above described, which does not require either a track'of complicated deor construction, oran external power plant and complicated gearing and power transmitting devices for rocking the cars and causing them to travel in a circular path. Other objects and desirable features ofmy invention will be hereinafter described. a 1

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of my improved apparatus. g a

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the mechanism by which the operator in charge of the apparatus can cause the cars to rock fore and aft. or rock upwardly and downwardly.

t Figure 3 is a side elevational view ofthe mechanism by whichthe operator can cause the cars to tilt transversely so as to simulate the effect that is obtained when an aeroplane is banked. c Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevational View of one of the cars and its operating mechanism, taken on approximately the line of Figure llQlooking in the direction indica ted by the arrow.

Figureka; iSLan-enlarged transverse sec- ,tional viewi taken onthe line 5-5 of Figure 1, looking the Q dine ction indicated by the arrow; and I 3 .Figures and :ane diagrammatic views, illustrating the actionofthe mechanism used ,to'rock.theIcarsiforea-nd aft. improved apparatus is composed of ,aplura itylofi passenger {carrying cars or vehieles A. coupled together and arranged so as to form atcircular train that comprises a ,driving unit B -a circular track C on which said tr in, travels and a' circular elevated platform D surrounding said track and provided with; an ,enclosing rail D. .i As is usual in dGViCQSjQ this character,the platform D is providedjwith an entrance D and a plu- =r al ity;ofi;exits. D The cars A, which are identicah may of any preferred construction or design and'they. are combined with mechanismsb y which the operator in charge of the apparatus can rock the cars fore and aft,--as -indicated in Figures 6 and 7 so as to produce 1 the senationof flying through bumpy air, and can tilt the cars transversely, as indicated vin broken lines in Figure 5, so as to produce thesensation which the occupant of an. aeroplane'receives when the plane is banked.v The particular waythat the cars are mounted an d the. particular mechanism thatis used to rock and tilt the cars are immaterial, solong as the operating mechanisms are of such. constructionthat the. operator ha nsole control ofthecars, both as to the speed at which they travel and the motion to which the cars are subjected when the apparatus is in use.

I. Q As shown in the drawmgs, the apparatus comprises a stationary center post E which carries a turn-table or rotatable element E fro1n.wl1icl1 axles F project radially and terminate at a point above and beyond the circular track C, as shown more clearly in Figure 5. The track C, which is of circular shape or form, is preferably of angle shape in cross section and is flat, level or free from waves or undulations. ;-It is carried by brackets; .C that project upwardly from raloo axles are tied together and-.maintainedin spaced relationship by links and tie bars that constitute in effect a wheel felloei-qwghose spokes are formed by the axles F and Whose hub is formed by the'center'turn-table Ef? Hence, when power is applied to the driving unit B, the circular'train composed, of the cars A and the driving'unitB', willtra'vel in a circular path around 'thetrack G."

.In the apparatusherein illustrated each car A is'arran-ged between'two axles 'F,'and as previously explained, is mounted sothat 'it can rock' fore: an'd"aft-'(upwardly and downwardly) about ""a" horizontal axis disposed transversely ofthe can-"and can ,also tilt transversely about a horizontal axis disposed longitudinally of" the car. i The ,two axles F-between which the car ispositioned are tied together by 'links J and K arranged 'at the inner side and at .the outer side of the car, respectively. The inside link J (see Figure 4) is provided at its ends with u wardly-projectingarms J ("that have hoo shaped portions'J at their upper ends which lap over the 'axles'F, and the .outer link K. "which is arranged in a higher horizontal plane-than thei'nner' link J, isprovided at its ends with substantially hook-shaped portions that are adapted to embrace or lap over the axles between'which said link is positioned. The-links J and K practically form the side members ofthe supporting frame for the car, and in view of the fact that they can be combined in properrelationship with the axles'F simply'by slipping the hookshaped portions on said links over the axles, the apparatus can be quickly assembled and disassembled. As shown in Figure 1, the side frame members or links J and K, which are associated with one car engage at one end the same axle, that'susta'ins'one end of the links or side frame members J and K .of an adjacent car, the end portions of the links of adjacent-cars bein'g arranged in overlapping relationship and held against movement longitudinally of the axles by removable wedges or pins L positioned in the axles. The links or side frame members J and K carry bearings in which is mounted a horizontal rock shaft M that is disposed transversely of the car at apoint some distance below the floor of the car, as shown in Figure 5. Said rock shaftM has rigidly attached to same a-tilting platform 0 that rocks fore and aft (upwardly and downwardly) and which is provided with bearh sar-l h haft M)- Two separate and distinct mechanisms are provided'ior rocking the cars A fore and aft and for tilting said cars transversely. The fore andaft mocking 'unechanism is preferably composed of walking beams R rockably mounted o'n th'e axles F'a'nd operatively conneet'ed in an suitable way to the platforms 0, tie rods pivotally attached to arms-T that project'downwardlyfrom" the walking beams R, and a power driven: elementon the driving unit B which the operator can set in motion so as to cause' 'a'll of the walking beams FR t'o rock upw'ardlyran'd downwardly, being noted thatitlre tieirdsS join all of -the 'walkingbeams R-together-so that if rocking rhovement-is imparted to one of the walking" beams, I all pf the" other walking 'beams will partake of the same movement. In'the apparatus herein illustrated each. walking beam-R is interposed between two'of the tiltingplatforms O and the opposite ends of said 5 walking beam? are joined to or coupled with: said -platform-- by meansof coiled springs U. If desired, said springs may be connected 'wit h'i t-he platforms-or walking beams in such a way "that the platform associated with any; particular,- car can easily be disconnected from 'the .mechanism 1 that is used to rock thecars.

'The mechanism that'is'used to tilt the cars A transversely or sidwise,"consis'ts of a flexible operating 'device,-such as a cable or a rope, attached to depending'arms P on the longitudinally-disposed shafts P of-the'respective cars A in' sucha way that when said operating device is pulled or moved in one direction, all of the cars will tilt transversely inwardly towardsthe center post E, and when said operating device is pulled or moved in 'the reverse direction, all of the cars A Will move back to or towards their normal upright position (shown in full lines in' Figure 5). By varying-the movement imparted to said operating device the cars 'can be tilted more or less and can be maintained in atilted position, so long as the operator. desires and irrespective of the speed at which the train of cars is traveling: In

the form of my invention herein illustrated, thedepending ,arm P on the-longitudinally- 1 disposed shaft P of each car has attached to same a cableV that leads through a pulley 5 fastened to the inner side frame memberJ.

'Asiinilar cable V, which is attached to the depending arm P, leads through a pulley reename "member J "I i s mm ene is .fe my biie j i ern d;..we i' hei fi ie i tfB s tsat t. t pre 're l peeit ed t ee' l irb of h X rr i d within-1,1 nt n l,bemb fieik n"- jgine ,W and a clutch N and."el iange "speed gearing W by which the operator incharge ,of the apparatus ean transniit movement from the engine NV" to a d'rivej wheel emission wheel W thattravels on rattan; arts above refer'redto being s ho'wii'finore or less diagrammat ally. Figure 2. T'Th e driving, eiementpre'viousiy mentioned that is used "to [actuate the 'walking beams R,"*is illustrated in 7 Figure Qjas consisting of eccentri callvdisposed' pin v on a driven member X that is combined wifth'one of the walking be'anis R'in such'a way that when said drivenanember X' is inrotation, all of the walking beams'R will rock upwardly and downwardly, and thus rock the cars A fore and aft. A power take-off X of any preferred type or kind may be used to drive the member X from the drive shaft of the engine or from the shaft to which the traction wheel or drive wheel 3V is attached, and a clutch, designated by the reference character X is provided so as to enable the operator to throw the driving member X into and out of service'. The mechanism also preferably compri's'es' a brake X which the operator can actu'a'teto hold the driving member X and the series bf walking beams at rest, or can actuate'to release the driving member X when it 'is de'sired to have said driving member rotate so as to rock the cars A-upwardly and downwardly. YVhen the brake X is set and meeluten tt-di sen'gaged, the cars A wiil be held againstmovement fore and aft, or, in

fother words'will' be prevented from rocking o '-'th'e shafts 'M; "ev'en though the train is in "i ro'nb The inechanism that is used to'act-u- Eat thefiei'z' iblef'operating device that is employed'to tilt the cars transversely, and which reviously was described as consisting of ca- 'l'e s V and'V joined t-ogether by tie rods V is'iiilust'rated in Figure 3 as consisting of a drum Z having wound thereon a'cabie Z that forms partof'said flexible operating device. Byrotating said drum in one direction said ffiekib'le dperating'de'vice wiil be 'moved in a nflection to tilt" the cares inwardly,- and. by

the driim fZ *in" the opposite direction; the a s 'wil-lbe' restored or moved back ft'owhrd's then norinalupright position. -The -'is "rotated byfmeaas of a hand crank 1Z bv gearing- Z with the drum, and a brake Z is provided 'foriocki'ng the drum Z or holding it against movement. said drum is locked the'car's A will be secureiy hel'd against transverse tilting movement, dueQofceu'rse, to'the fact that the flexible operating device'which is Wound. around the drumg'is-also attached to all of the cars and maintained in a taut condition. fObviously, my invention is -not limited to the particular type or-ki-nd ofmechanisms herein illustrated for rocking the walking beams R and for impa'rting a'transverse ti'iting movement totne alone, can set the walkin g beams in operation -or cause them to cease operating and can tilt the cars more "or less into an inwardly in clined'position so asto produce the sensation which the occupants of an aeroplane r 'ceive when'themlane is banked in turning. My'improved apparatus is inexpensive to construct, it is of such simple design that it can be'readily assembled or disassembled, and it has a large seating eapacit It has the added advantage that the cars of same travel on a level' or fiat track and it does not require an external power plant connected with complicated gearing or power transmitting mechanism for imparting movement to the cars.

Having thus described my invention, what When f r.- on

provided with a power-producing device that imparts movement to the train, mechanism under control of the operator by which said power-prodlacing device can be used to rock the ears fore and aft when the train is in motion, and an independent mechanism under control of the operator for tilting the cars transversely. I

An amusement apparatus, comprising a circular, level track, radially-disposed axles provided with wheels that travel on said track, rockable passenger carscarried by said Wheels, a driving unit coupled with said cars so as to form a train, said driving unit being provided with a power-producing device, a mechanism for rocking said cars upwardly and downwardly about horizontal axes that are disposed transversely of the cars, and means for enabling said rocking mechanism to be coupled with or disconnected from a power-preducing device on said driving unit.

3. In an amusement apparatus of the; kind described, a passenger carrying car adapted to travel on a track, a supporting structure for said car comprising a tilting platform that rocks on an axis disposed transversely of the car, and means for mounting the car on said platform in such a way that the car can tilt on an axis disposed longitudinally of the platform. v

4. In an amusement apparatus of the kind described, a train of cars comprising a driving unit that propels the cars, said cars being mounted so that they can rock fore and aft, and an operating mechanism actuated from said power unit for rocking said cars fore and aft, said operating mechanism comprising a series of walking beams directly connected together.

5. In an amusement apparatus of the kin described, a circular track, a center turn-table or rotatable element, radially-disposed axles connected to said turn-table and provided with wheels that travel on said track, a frame structure carried by said axles, tilting platforms carried by said frame structure, mechanism for rocking said platforms, and passenger carrying cars mounted on said platforms.

6. In an amusement apparatus of the kind described. a circular track, a center turn-table or rotatable element, radially-disposed axles connected to said turn-table and provided with wheels that travel on said track, a frame structure carried by said axles, tilting platforms carried by said frame structure, mechanism-for rocking said platforms, passenger carrying cars mounted on said platforms, and means for enabling thecars to be rocked or "tilted transversely of theplatforms. a

7.: In an amusement apparatus of the kind described, a circular.Itrack, a center turntable i platf orm.,. M1. .v p Y 8. An amusementappar'atus, comprising a circula'r, level track, -a center turn-table, or rotatable H element, radiall'y1disposed ,axle's connected to said turn-table. and provided with wheels that'travel onsaid'track', a frame structure carried. said; axles,.a driving "unit provided withgmeans forlprop elling the frame structure around said track, passenger carrying cars carried by said frame. structure .andmountedso as to .be; capable of rocking or ,tiltirlgin'tWo directions at approximately right angles to each other,-an operating mechanism adapted to be actuated by said power unit for rocking the cars fore and aft, and an independent mechanism under control of the operator incharge of the power unit for tilting the cars; transversely, relatively to their path of movement, so as to simulate banking.

9, A'n amusement apparatus of the kind ,de scribed, comprising a circular track, a center turn-table or rotatable element, radiallydisposed axles connected to said turn-table and provided with wheels that travel on said track, a frame structure comprising frame members arranged between the axles and provided at their ends with substantially hookshaped portions that are adapted to he slipped over the axles so as to support the frame structure on the axles and hold the axles in spaced relationship, tilting platforms on said frame structure whose axes are disposed transversely of the track, an operating mech anism for said platforms comprising walking beams rockably mounted on the axles,

passenger carrying cars on said platforms '4 mounted so as to be capable of tilting transversely of the platforms, and a mechanism under control of the operator in charge of the train of cars for governing the transverse tilting of the cars.

ROBERT H. JEWELL. 

